SSC 12: The Thing (Carpenter, 1982)

For October's second horror-centric episode, Tim and Tay talk John Carpenter's not-so-immediately appreciated masterpiece The Thing. From evergreen creature effects to unsettling philosophical implications, this movie has it all.

Synopsis
An American research base in Antarctica is infiltrated by an alien that can assume the shape of anything it attacks. The social fabric of the small community quickly erodes as each resident realizes they can no longer trust those around them.

Directed by John Carpenter, The Thing was released June 25, 1982, and stars Kurt Russell, Keith David, and Wilford Brimley.

The Thing is available to stream on Netflix. 

Scene [1:17:41 - 1:26:36]
As the remaining group begins to suspect Macready, he forces everyone into a blood test to determine who, if any are actually The Thing.

Links

• 3:00 - A monster budget
• 4:30 - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
• 6:50 - An initial critical flop
• 7:20 - Blade Runner (1982)
• 8:25 - Too "strong" for audiences
• 20 - Carpenter on the difficulty of ensemble shoots
• 2230 - The Thing's script
• 26:15 - The Thing (2011) & CGI FX
• 28:20 - The Thing From Another World (1951) / Who Goes There?
• 30:06 - A long pre-production
• 30:40 - Invasion of the Body Snatchers - 1956 and 1978 
• 34:00 - The split diopter shot
• 35:53 - Toy Story 4's split diopter shot
• 56:15 - Stan Winston
• 57:49 - Jed the dog actor
• 59:40 - Ethan Hawke's most impressive costar

Recommendations

Tim: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Kaufman, 1978). Available to stream on Prime.

Tay: Attack The Block (Cornish, 2011). Available to stream on CTV.

All links are verified at the time of publication and based on availability in Canada.

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• Tay on Letterboxd